North Texas Parents Launch Campaign On Ecstasy Dangers
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NORTH RICHLAND HILLS (CBS11) - Next to a lake at the Bluebonnet Hills cemetery in Colleyville, is a granite bench. Seasonal flowers are placed in a holder on one side. On the opposite, two dates are etched in the stone: January 20, 1993 and October 8, 2014.
The dates mark the birth and death of Jessica Hunter; the best and worst days in Alan and Debbie Hunter's lives.
"So many people are ashamed when their kid dies of a drug overdose and we need to get rid of that stigma. We need to really talk about that problem, because there's a huge problem," said Alan Hunter.
Jessica was a junior at Texas State in San Marcos, who went with her friends to the Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2014.
One choice at the concert ultimately ended her life: she tried synthetic ecstasy, also known as "Molly."
The reaction to the drug left Jessica in a coma, and she never recovered.
Jessica was extremely close to her parents, who live in North Richland Hills.
"She always wanted to help somebody who was in trouble, who didn't have self-esteem. She always wanted to life people up," her parents recall.
The year since her death has been a roller coaster of emotion: holding close the happy memories, while grieving a terrible loss.
Almost immediately after her death, the Hunters knew they wanted to share Jessica's story. They want other families to know that even the brightest of young people can be vulnerable to peer pressure.
"The biggest surprise to me is the casualness of it. If you ask a young person do they do drugs, they'll tell you 'No.' But if you say, 'Well have you smoked pot?' they'll say 'Yeah'. 'Done Molly'? 'Yeah.' They don't consider those drugs," said Alan.
Alan says he had many conversations with Jessica about drugs and alcohol. She understood the dangers of intoxicated driving: always taking a cab, or having a designated driver behind the wheel.
She assured her parents they never needed to worry about drugs.
"We send these kids off at 18 years old and their minds are not fully developed. They're making choices as we've found that can impact the rest of their life. Be it good or be it bad," said Debbie Hunter.
The "I Know Jessica" campaign developed over the last year.
"When people go to a concert and they hear 'Hey do you know Molly, you got molly,' we want them to say, 'No. I know Jessica.' Which is the stand to say no, I'm not going to do this," Alan explained.
With a website, Facebook page, and videos on YouTube, hundreds of people are beginning to share the message.
The Hunters are seeing the impact: strangers have written letters. Jessica's friends stay in touch and remind them how she changed their lives.
"A friend of hers reached out to me just to say I want to let you know the impact she had on me. Eleven months after she passed. We had another kid who checked himself into rehab the Monday after her service. He came and gave us his six month sobriety chip. He said it was because Jessica had such an impact on him," said Debbie.
The parents attend monthly meetings with Compassionate Friends – a support group for people who have lost loved ones – where they've met many families who share a similar story.
They want to share as many stories as possible through I Know Jessica.
"The more stories people know, the more it will change someone's mind to, 'You know, maybe it could be me," Alan said.
The Hunters are putting together videos of Jessica's life – who she was, and what she meant to people – including interviews with her closest friends and the first responders who took care of her the night of the overdose.
They've also compiled resources for parents who to talk to their children, and for young adults to talk to each other.
The Hunters hope it will start a conversation for many more families; one they hope will save lives.
"We felt like we lost our future. When she passed, it was like, what do we have to live for any more? We have to find a new purpose, and this is it," said Debbie.
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